Watches and like horological instruments



' Nov. 4, 1958 Filed March 25, 1955 INvsrirdR ATTORNEYS Unite WATCHESANl) LIKE HOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS Philip Heimann, Killarney,Johannesburg,

Union of South Africa Application March 25, 1955, Serial No. 496,898

Claims priority, application Union of South Africa May 24, 1954 8Claims. (Cl. 58-109) -a speed regulator and is particularly applicable,to

watches, chronometers, portable clocks and the like which are driven bya main spring.

The regulation of the speed of these types of instruments, even of thebetter type is not often wholly accurate when they are despatched fromthe factory and final adjustments have to be made by the owner, orsomeone employed by the owner for this purpose. The making of theadjustments is a tedious process and is largely eifected by hit and missmethods, with the result that the instrument does not have an accuracyof which its movement is capable. Furthermore, there is no finality inthe adjustment since the movement is affected by varying climaticconditions.

It is the object of this invention to provide means whereby the speedregulation of horological instruments may be effected by the normalmovement used in resetting the hands of the instruments.

Watches are known in which the movement of resetting the hands is usedto adjust the speed regulation of the Watch. In watches of this knowntype it is always necessary to operate some auxilliary member or pullthe winder stem out into a special position before making the adjustmentso that the regulator adjustment is not naturally effected by theresetting of the hands. The invention is especially adaptable forapplication to a Watch or other instrument in which the winding stemrotates about and is axilially movable along an axis which extendstransversely to the axis of the control element for the regulatingmechanism and makes use of the conventional axial and rotary movement ofthe winding stem for appropriately adjusting the regulating mechanism.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, there is provided the leverswingable transversely to the axis of the control element so that drivemeans carried by the lever on diametrically opposite sides of drivenmeans carried by the said control element may be alternately swung intoengagement with the driven means and the lever is appropriatelyconnected to the stem in a novel manner, whereby the rotation of thestem after the latter is axially displaced to its settting position mayswing one or the other of said driving means into operative engagementwith the driven means. -A further inde pendent connection or linkagebetkeen the stem and the lever moves the lever bodily transversely tothe rotational axis of the control element responsive to axial movementof the stem whereby the ensuing movement of either of the said drivemeans in engagement with its cooperating driven means may produce rotaryregulating movement of the driven means and the associated controlelement.

Thus, there is provided a novel mechanism of simpler construction thanhas heretofore been known, adapted especially for incorporation inwatches, though capable of in larger horological instruments.

States Patent 2,858,664 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 "ice A further feature ofthe invention consists in so arranging the aforesaid mechanism that itmay be controllable through appropriate manipulation of the winding stemto permit adjustment of either the regulating mechanism or theinstrument setting mechanism independenlty of the other.

According to still further features of the invention the amount ofmovement of the regulator is effected in a keyless watch, through aconnecting mechanism by the movement of the winding stem between thewinding and handsetting positions, and the connecting mechanism may bedisengaged from the speed regulating mechanism to prevent adjustmentthereof, by suitably positioning the winding stem.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates the front of part of a watch movement with portion ofthe face removed to show part of the regulator adjusting mechanism, andwith the stem in the winding position.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the slip ring for the adjusting mechanism.

Fig. 3 illustrates the position of the slip ring in relation to thecastle wheel and return lever.

Fig. 4 illustrates the modified regulator mechanism at the back of thewatch, and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7, illustrate the movements of the regulator adjustingmechanism when the hands of the Watch are set.

As shown in Fig. 1 the watch is provided with a normal type of windingand hand setting mechanism comprising an axially movable winding stem 1fitted to a crown 2 and through castle wheel 3, the movement of thelatter to engage either the crown wheel 2-01' the minute-hand gear train4 being effected by a return lever 5 and co-operating trigger 6 intheform of a bell crank lever. I p

The return lever 5 fits across the circumferential slot 7 in the castlewheel. Mounted in the slot 7 between the return lever 5 and the lowerwall 8 of the slot 7 is a split ring 9 having a projecting tail piece 10as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The tail piece 10 fits through a slot11 in a side arm 12 projecting from a lever 13. The one end 14 of thelever is pivoted to the trigger 6 or an extension thereof, and the otherend 15 of the lever 13 is bifurcated and terminates in a pair ofoppositely disposed pawls 16, 17.

Between the pawls 16, 17 is mounted a pair of concentric ratchet wheels18, 19. The ratchet wheels 18, 19 are mounted on the same shaft 20 inclose proximity. In the drawings portion of the top ratchet wheel 19 hasbeen cut away to show the lower ratchet wheel 18. The arm 21 andcorresponding pawl 16 is bent downwards a small amount so that thelatter is on the same plane as, and will only engage the lower ratchetwheel 18. The pawl 17 is positioned to engage only the upper ratchetwheel 19. The lever 13 is located to hold the pawls 16, 17 in the planesof the corresponding ratchet wheels 18, 19 by a stud 22 the head 23 ofwhich bears on the outer surface of the lever 13. The stem 24 of thestud 22 fits through an enlarged hole in the lever (indicated by dottedlines 25) thus allowing the lever 13 a limited longitudinal andtransverse movement. In the normal central position of lever 13 (Fig. 1)neither pawl 16 nor 17 engages the ratchet wheels 18 or 19.

The shaft 20 on which the ratchet wheels 18, 19 are mounted projectsthrough to the opposite side of the movement and has a small pinion 26mounted on the projecting end as shown in Fig. 4. This pinion 26 mesheswith an arcuate rack 27 secured to the end of the index 28 which formspart of the hairspring type of regulating mechanism.

With the watch set for normal winding as shown in Fig. 1, ring 9 restsloosely in the circumferential slot 7 in the castle wheel 3 so that itdoes not interfere in any way with the rotation of the stem 1 and crownand castle wheels 2, 3.

When the winding stem 1 is pulled out to the hand setting position,trigger 6 is rotated on its pivot 29 causing the lever 13 and pawls 16,17, to advance towards the ratchet wheels 18, 19, and at the same timemoves the return lever to press the castle wheel 3 into engagement withthe minute-hand gear train 4. It this position of the parts the slipring 9 is pressed into frictional engagement with the wall 8 of the slot7 in the castle wheel 3, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus any rotation of thewinding stem 1 in either direction to set the hands will causecorresponding rotation of the castle wheel 3 and the ring 9.

The movement of the tail piece 10 of the ring 9 in the slot 11 pressesthe side arm 12 to one side or the other so that pawl 16 or 17 engagesratchet wheel 18 or 19.

With the parts in this position if the winder stem 1 is now pressedinwardly to move trigger 6 back to the winding position the lever 13pivoted to the trigger 6 recedes from the ratchet wheels 18, 19 causingthe pawl 16 or 17 engaging the one ratchet wheel 18 or 19 to rotate it.This in turn causes rotation of the pinion 26 and movement of the rack27 and index 28 to reset the regulating mechanism.

The movement of the regulator adjusting mechanism will be clearlyunderstood with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 which illustrate themovements of the parts for retardingthe position of the hands andautomatically retarding the speed regulator.

In retarding the hands the winding stem 1 is first pulled out from theposition shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 5. Thecorresponding movement of trigger 6 advances lever 13 towards theratchet wheels 18, 19 without the pawls 16, 17 engaging either wheel 18or 19, and the return lever 5 presses ring 9 into frictional engagementwith castle wheel 3.

The winding stem 1 is then rotated in a clockwise direction to move thehands in the opposite direction. This movement causes the tail 10 of thering 9 to move in a clockwise direction to press lever 13 away therefromcausing pawl 17 to engage ratchet wheel 19 as shown in Fig. 6.

With the rotational pressure still applied to the winding stem 1 it ispushed inwardly. This results in a return movement of the trigger 6,lever 13 and the pawl 17 which rotates the ratchet wheel 19 in ananticlockwise direction. The movement of the ratchet wheel 19, throughthe shaft 211, pinion 26, rack 27 and index 28, retards the speedregulatingmechanism by a very small amount which is independent of theamount of movement of the hands in resetting them. The amount ofmovement of the index 28 depends on the diameter of ratchet wheels 18,19 and the distance between pivot 29 and the point of attachment oflever 13 to trigger 6.

The maintenance of the rotational pressure in the stem 1 in moving itback to the winding position is usually a natural action and shouldnormally require no conscious thought. If however, it is desired toreset the hands without making any adjustment to the regulator the rotutional pressure in the winding stem 1 may be released prior to pushingit inwardly. In this case the lever 13 will move to the position shownin Fig. 5 and on inward movement of the stem 1, move to the positionshown in Fig. 1 without the pawl 17 engaging the ratchet wheel 19.Conversely should it be desired to reset the regulating mechanismwithout resetting the hands the stem 1 is pulled out and a rotationalpressure is applied thereto sufiicient to move lever 13 to engage pawl16 or 17 but insuflicient to move the hands, and the stem 1 is thenpressed inwardly to rotate the ratchet wheels 18 or 19.

-If in-elfecting a normal adjustment of the hands an overcorrection ismade it is necessary to apply rotational pressure to the winding stem 1in the original direction of movement before pressing it back to thewinding position so that an incorrect adjustment is not made to theregulater.

It will be clear from the above that the direction of adjustment of theregulator is independent of the direction of movement of the hands inre-setting them and depends solely on the direction of rotationalpressure applied to the winding stem 1 against the normal back lash ofthe gear train 4, when said winding stem is moved from the hand settingto the Winding position. Such rotational pressure will result inmovement of the stem 1'. and the amount of such movement which ispermissible without moving the hands is that which is suflicient to takeup the normal play in the gear train 4.

The movement of the ring 9 is limited by the limits of movement of thelever 13 so that if the winding stem 1 is rotated beyond the limit ofmovement of the ring 9 the castle wheel 3 will merely move in slidingengagement with ring 9. The latter thus acts as a form of slippingclutch to hold one or other pawl 16 or 17 in engagement with thecorresponding ratchet wheel 18 or 19. if desired the position of theindex 28 may be shown by a mark or other indication on the top ratchetwheel 19 and the face of the clock provided with an aperture throughwhich the marked portion of wheel 19 is visible.

'1' he position of the lever 13 to operate the regulating mechanismeither to retard or advance the speed may be indicated by a pivotedplate 36 adapted to be oscillated by lever 31 connected to lever 13 andviewed through a window 32.

The invention is applicable to Watches having time indicating meansother than hands, for example, marked discs, to self winding watches andgenerally to horological instruments in which the movement of the timeindicating means may be transmitted to the regulator to effect step bystep adjustment thereof.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A horological instrument comprising a time indicating means, a geartrain connected to said time indicating means for setting the same, astern movable axially to engage and disengage said gear train, aregulator for controlling the speed of movement of the instrument, aconnecting member between said regulator and stem for transmitting axialmovement of the stem to the regulator, controlling means connected tosaid stem and movable to disconnect, and connect the connecting memberto the regulator to control the direction of movement of the latter, aclutch connecting the stem to the controlling means which latter isoperable by the positioning of said stem at either of the two extremepositions necessary to take up the normal play of the gear train.

2. A horological instrument comprising time indicating means, gearingconnected to said time indicating means for setting the same, a stemmovable axially to engage and disengage said gearing, a regulator forcontrolling the speed of movement of the instrument, a double ratchetconnected to said regulator, 21 pair of pawls, a movable membersupporting said pawls, a side arm on said memher, a clutch connectingthe side arm to the stem for positioning said member to move the pawlsinto disengagement or engagement with the ratchet on positioning of thestem at either of the two extreme positions necessary to take up thenormal play of the gearing and means connecting the movable member tothe stern for transmitting axial movement of the stem to the pawls.

3. A spring driven watch comprising time indicating means, gearingconnected to said time indicating means for setting the same, a sternmovable axially to engage and disengage said gearing, a regulator forcontrolling the speed of movement of the instrument, a rack secured tosaid regulator, a pinion meshing with said rack, 21 pair of superimposeddisc shaped ratchets, a shaft connecting the ratchets to the pinion, apair of pawls, a movable member supporting said pawls, a side armconnected to said member, a clutch ring loosely mounted on the stem, areturn lever acting to press said ring into frictional engagement withsaid stem when the latter is moved axially to engage said gearing, atailpiece on the ring engaging said side arm for positioning said memberto move the pawls into disengagement or engagement with the ratchets onpositioning of the stem at either of the two extreme positions necessaryto take up the normal play of the gearing, and means connecting themovable member to the stem for transmitting axial movement of the stemto the pawls.

4. In a horological instrument, the combination comprising a regulatingmechanism having a rotatable control element, driven means rotatablewith said element about a common axis, a lever mounted on saidinstrument for lateral swinging movement transversely to said axis andlongitudinal bodily movement transversely to said axis, a pair of drivemeans carried by said lever respectively on diametrically opposite sidesof said driven means, a rotatable and axially movable winding stemcarried by said instrument for rotation about an axis transverse to thatof said control element, means operatively connecting said lever to saidstem for selectively swinging either of said drive means into operativeengagement with said driven means, depending on the direction ofrotation of the stem, and means operatively connecting said lever to thestem for causing longitudinal bodily movement of the lever responsive toaxial movement of the stem.

5. In a horological instrument having a rotatable winding stem axiallymovable between a winding position and a setting position, thecombination comprising a regulating mechanism having a control elementrotatable about an axis extending transversely to the axis of said stem,driven means fixed coaxially on said element, a lever mounted on saidinstrument for swinging movement transversely to the rotational axis ofsaid driven means and for bodily movement generally radially to saiddriven means, drive means carried by said lever on diametricallyopposite sides of said driven means and alternately movable with saidlever into driving engagement with said driven mean and operativerespectively to rotate said driven means in opposite directionsresponsive to said radial bodily movement of the lever, meansoperatively responsive to rotation of said stem in either direction forswinging said lever to bring one of said drive means into operativeengagement with said driven means, and means linking said lever to saidwinding stern for bodily movement radially to said driven means inresponse to axial movement of said stem.

6. In a horological instrument having a rotatable winding stem axiallymovable between a winding position and a setting position, rotatablesetting mechanism and 6 means esstablishing an operative drivingconnection be tween said stem and the setting mechanism when said stemis axially disposed in its setting position, the comination comprisingregulating mechanism rotatable about an axis transverse to therotational axis or" said stem, a pair of ratchet wheels havingrelatively oppositely directed ratchet teeth coaxially fixed to saidregulating mechanism, a lever mounted on said instrument for swingingmovement transversely to the rotational axis of said wheels and forlengthwise bodily movement generally parallel to said stem, pawlscarried by said lever respectively on diametrically opposite sides ofsaid Wheels for alternate driving engagement with the respective wheels,means operatively responsive to rotation of said stem in eitherdirection for swinging said lever to bring one of said pawls intodriving engagement with its respective wheel, and means connecting saidlever to said stem for driving movement radially to the axis of saidwheels and generally parallel to said stern responsive to axial movementof the stem.

7. A horological instrument comprising a time indicating means, a geartrain connected to said time indicating means for setting the same, astem movable axially to engage and disengage said gear train, aregulator for controlling the speed of movement of the instrument, aconnecting member between said regulator and stem for transmitting axialmovement of the stem to the regulator, means for controlling themovement of direction of the regulator, said controlling means connectedto said stem and operable by the positioning of said stem at the twoextreme positions necessary to take up the normal play of the geartrain.

8. A horological instrument comprising a time indicating means, a geartrain connected to said time indicating means for setting the same, astem movable axially to engage and disengage said gear train, aregulator for controlling the speed of movement of the instrument, aconnecting member between said regulator and stem for transmitting axialmovement of the stem to the regulator, and means for controlling thedirection of movement of the regulator and disconnecting the connectingmember from the regulator, said controlling means connected to said stemand operable to mOVe the connecting member to connect with the regulatorby the positioning of said stem at the two extreme positions necessaryto-take up the normal play of the gear train, and to disconnect theconnecting member from the regulator by the positioning of the stembetween said two extreme positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

